Overcome Common Roadblocks to a Clean Closet

Conquer a perpetually messy wardrobe by getting to the root of the problem

By Brynn Mannino

Whether you have too much stuff or just a terrible closet setup, your wardrobeas well as your entire bedroomis likely suffering the clutter consequences. But all hope is not lost! By tackling your specific closet conundrum, you can zero in on a quick and easy solution. Read on for expert advice on getting a cleaner closet, from suggestions for better lighting to tips on easy maintenance.

1. You have too much space.

Large, vast spaces of open storage do nothing for you. All you end up with is tall, teetering piles, says Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer at MaidPro. To make it work for organizational purposes, break the space up into smaller pieces using products like baskets, hanging shelving and wire racks. This way, not only will every inch of space become usableeven the darkest corner in the back of your closetbut every item will have somewhere to live (and be returned to). Photo: Shutterstock

2. Your closet design works against you.

If you have a ton of gym clothes and no drawers, or primarily dressy items and one rod to hang them on, you probably find yourself stashing T-shirts where they dont belong or hanging items too close together, which can shorten their shelf life, explains Lorie Marrero, author of The Clutter Diet. The solution? Pinpoint what makes up the majority of your wardrobe and cater to it. For example, if you have a lot of skirts, silk tops and pants, add an easy-to-install rod at waist height to create extra hanging space. Photo: QxQ IMAGES/Datacraft/Getty Images

3. You dont like getting rid of things.

If clothing is your biggest investment, it can be painstaking to part with beloved bags, shoes and other items. Which means it may be time to enlist a friend who will honestly tell you what looks good and what doesn't, says Marrero. Knowing somethings ill-fitting or unfashionable might change your mind about keeping it. Once youve narrowed down your selection, consider donating extra stuff to Goodwill, suggests Marrero, whos also a Goodwill ambassador. You can calculate how much of a difference your old stuff will make in someone's life at Donate.Goodwill.org. Simply enter the types of items you're thinking about donating (clothes, household goods or electronics) to see the impact they will have. Knowing that your old work clothes could help a person in need ace a job interview is a great motivator for donating clothing you don't wear anymore. Photo: Tetra Images/Getyy Images

4. You're not sure what style looks best on you.

Sometimes, when we haven't quite found our signature style, we buy clothes that don't match, and end up not wearing them. If you have clothes in your closet with the tags still on them, it might be time to home in on your fashion tendencies to help ward off clutter. Once youve defined your style, youll be much less tempted to purchase items that dont fit into it, since you wont get much use out of them, says Gisela Lowenstein, creator of The Glow System, a housecleaning DVD series. Plus, doing this will help you delve deeper into the style you like, bringing more personality to each of your looks. Photo: Daly and Newton / Getty Images

5. You have bad lighting.

If you dont have enough lighting inside your closet itself, youre more likely to pull out multiple items every time you get dressed in order to get a better look at them, Marrero says. And often, the clothes dont make it back onto a hanger until you get home from work or embark on a major cleanup mission. These days, you can really light your closet cheaply and without getting an electrician involved, says Homer. She suggests exploring options like stick-on LED lights or cordless lighting. If you have good lighting in the closet, you can better match pieces or decipher blue from black items while theyre hanging up, Marrero says.

6. Youre always in a rush.

This may be a time-management issue, says Marrero. But if you want to work around the habit, here are a few possible solutions. One: Lay out your clothes at night, and make sure your closet is in order when youre done, says Homer. Two: Invest in some closet accessories, Marrero suggests. Even if you only have doors to work with, get hooks, which you can use to hang items that dont make it back into your closet. Three: Designate a chair or valet stand as a place where youre allowed to put the clothes youre trying on for the day but dont wear, she says. This will prevent a buildup of clothes on your floor or bed. Then, once a week, make a habit of putting everything back in its place. Photo: iStockphoto

7. You treat your closet like storage, not decor.

Why decor? You use your closet every day, whereas you access storage only once in a while. And many closets are out in the open, whereas storage spaces are usually tucked away. But those aren't the only reasons to treat your closet as part of your homes decorative look. Its psychological, says Marrero, whose organizing philosophy is similar to how others approach weight loss. When people feel good about their closet, theyre proud of it, which motivates them to maintain it. To make your closet more pleasing to the eye, consider tossing wire hangers and investing in matching sets, or swapping out your door hardware for pretty vintage knobs. Photo: iStockphoto

8. Your weight shifts.

Nobodys discouraging you from using your favorite pair of skinny jeans or that pre-baby-weight dress as motivation to drop pounds. But there are two reasons why items that no longer fit shouldnt be front and center in your closet. The obvious reason? Clutter! The not-so-obvious reason? They remind you of what you cant fit into, causing you to start your days on a negative, self-defeatist note, explains Marrero. If youre up to it, get rid of them. Its more motivating to think about the new clothes you can buy later than to think about wearing the clothes you already have, says Homer. If you dont want to donate them, then at least take them out of circulation. Treat goal-weight clothing like seasonal clothing and store it away, says Marrero. Photo: Shutterstock

9. You have bad laundry habits.

Not putting away [clean] clothes is a bad habit that starts in the laundry room, says Marrero. We see a lot of people pull their stuff out of the dryer and either crumple it up and leave it there or fold it and leave it there. This habit creates two places where youre trying on clothes each day, which encourages excess mess. The best solution: Fold your clothes and put them awaystat, says Marerro. If you dont like to fold, make sure you always have hangers in the laundry room; this way you can hang items right out of the dryer. Then you just have to grab all the hangers and move them to the closet, where they'll be instantly organized. Photo: Shutterstock

10. You focus on cleaningnot maintaining.

A closet isnt like furniture or a rug that needs dusting or vacuuming every once in a while. Instead, youre much better off approaching your closet as you would, say, your email account. Constant upkeep is the key to staying organized. Having some type of organizational systemwhether thats color-coding, hanging dividers or labelingwill help make selecting clothes less overwhelming. If your kids share a closet or you have a housekeeper, this tactic is especially useful, since everyone will know where to put things, says Marrero. Photo: Shutterstock

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